All praises are due to Allah.

I bear witness that there is no one worthy

of worship except Allah. I also bear witness that Mu-hammad is His servant
and messenger. To proceed:
This is a great commentary on a great book.
In-depth knowledge of them is thus sure to give the reader, even if he or
she is a novice, a comprehensive view of the most fundamental Islamic beliefs
and principles. No wonder that this book has been for hundreds of years among
the most popular of Islamic books in the Muslim world. It is to be found today
in its original Arabic or in many other languages in the private libraries of
almost all practicing Muslims. It is also studied as a textbook by almost all
young students of Islam in the Muslim world. There are many commentaries on
this book from which Br. Zarabozo has definitely benefited; but his is not a
mere translation or summary of those commentaries-it is an original
commentary the English speaking reader will find more useful and interesting
than mere translations of those traditional commentaries.
The advantage of this book comes out clearly in the original method
the author followed in his study of these prophetic sayings. He starts by giving
Commentary on the 40 Hadith of al-Nawawi
his reader the Arabic text of the hadith, followed by a new translation, which is
without a doubt a great improvement on existing translations. He then gives a
list, in Arabic, of all the important words and phrases of the hadith under
discussion and explains them very briefly in English. He then gives a brief but
very scholarly discussion of the status of the hadith. In this scholarly
discussion, the author bears in mind that not every one of the readers is familiar
with the sciences of hadith and, therefore, he explains all the different technical
terms and ideas which he uses. But the discussion is, at the same time,
conducted at a level which makes it interesting and useful even for specialists
of this science.
After giving the reader some brief and general comments on the hadith
and after giving him a biographical sketch of the Companion who reported the
hadith, the author delves into the main business of studying the hadith in great
detail and depth. Every phrase of the hadith is studied linguistically, logically,
jurisprudentially, legally, and so on. The author uses his vast knowledge of the

sources to put before the reader almost all that scholars old and new had to say
on matters related to the hadith and almost all the lessons that they had
deduced from it. But he does not only quote and translate; he also adds,
discusses and evaluates. He gives you all the important interpretations of
different parts of the hadith text and the arguments of the scholars who
suggested them. This gives the reader the chance to penetrate the minds of
those great scholars and to familiarize himself with their reasoning and
argumentation. Having acquired this vital training in studying hadith, the
reader might find himself, thanks to the author, in disagreement with him over
some of his preferences on, in time, a scholarly basis.
Many readers will, I am sure, be surprised to discover, after reading a
commentary on one of the hadith, how meager their knowledge of the hadith
was before they read the commentary and how wrong they were in assuming
that their meager knowledge was all that was to be gotten from the hadith.
Due to the comprehensiveness of the author's commentary, the reader
will not be studying explanations of the hadith in a narrow sense; the reader
will, in fact, be introduced to many branches of the Islamic sciences: the
different sciences of hadith, the science of textual interpretation, the science of
jurisprudence, law, and even Arabic language. It is sometimes better to study
these sciences in contexts like these than to study them in isolation in
textbooks. Such contextual study makes it easier for the learner to remember
the rules, to apply them and also to recall them whenever he reads the texts in
whose context he studied them.
The Life of I mam al-Nawawi

I mam al-Nawawi 's Life

The Life of al-Nawawi
Before commenting on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi, it would be
proper to introduce Imam al-Nawawi to the reader. It is important for Muslims
to take the time to learn about the lives of the pious predecessors. The great
scholars and pious individuals of the past can be great examples for the living.
Their behavior and actions can have a great effect upon the hearts. Their
examples demonstrate that in every age, there were pious Muslims who

followed the way of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his noble
Companions, without compromise and without giving into the desires of this
world. They demonstrate to the Muslims of today that the guidance of the
Quran and hadith was sufficient for them to lead their lives in manners pleasing
to Allah, although they did not sit with and learn directly from the Prophet
(peace be upon him) or even his close Companions.
Today, Muslims face many of the same problems, temptations and
difficulties that these pious predecessors faced. The pious predecessors read
and intensely studied the Quran and hadith to attain guidance for their lives.
They applied the Quran and sunnah in their lives under various circumstances.
What they derived from the Divine Guidance should be considered a light for
all of those who come after them who face circumstances similar to theirs.
There are many aspects of al-Nawawi's life, in particular, that may set
an example for those living today. In his introduction to his Master's Thesis on
al-Nawawi, Ahmad al-Haddaad echoed these views when he stated,
The third reason [for writing about al-Nawawi] was to bring to
the forefront the life of this extraordinary man who lived in a
later time. It is hoped that this biography will bring to us and
the coming generation great benefits with respect to
seriousness and striving for knowledge, with respect to
asceticism and fearing Allah, and with respect to bravery in
publicly speaking the truth. The lives of the pious have the
greatest effect on those who hear about them. Allah has
certainly spoken the truth when He said, "And all that We
relate to you (0 Muhammad) of the news of the messengers